Two Loners Brought Together by Fate
by waybackwhen
Summary: Ever since high school, both Itachi and Sasori had tried to keep to themselves. Sasori was the textbook definition of the lonely artist. Itachi was a teen from a prestigious family struggling to live up to perfect standards while battling a life-threatening illness. When these two are brought together, will sparks fly? A special birthday present for my friend Sasori ;D
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I do not own Naruto or its characters. I'm simply borrowing them.

Without a glance at his quiet lab partner, the raven haired Uchiha packed up his things. Finally, he turned his attention to the stoic redhead, his voice monotone as he spoke. "Forgive me, but I'll be gone for the next few days."

At his words, honey eyes glanced up at the young prodigy. "Are you ever going to tell me where it is you disappear to all the time?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Probably not." The onyx eyed boy stated bluntly, throwing his bag over his shoulder.

"Very well." The redhead relented easily. "None of my business anyway. I think I can handle a fluffy little kitty all on my own, so worry not."

The normally emotionless raven actually chuckled quietly at that, for the cat they were forced to dissect together was neither fluffy nor little. "Good to know Mr. Fluffyface will be in good hands while I'm gone."

Where normally there was silence between the two isolated boy, the teens actually shared in a quiet, somewhat reserved laugh.

"Hey Itachi?" Crossing the room to the door with his partner by his side, the Uchiha gave him a curious look, silently promoting him to speak his mind. "I don't know why you keep disappearing, but I hope everything turns out alright." The expression in the older teens eyes was oddly soft and sincere, catching the raven off guard.

Normally cold, dark eyes softened as the raven haired teen smiled softly. "It's just another surgery. Don't be concerned."

"Another?" The redhead raised an eyebrow, hardly able to conceal his curiosity or concern.

"I need to get going." The Uchiha quickly diverted the topic. "I should be back by Monday."

"No sooner, you got it, Uchiha?" At another questioning glance from the younger teen, Sasori quickly added, "I don't feel like having you pass out during class or something." A silent nod of acknowledgment came from the raven, onyx eyes suspicious, but not enough to push the subject much further before he turned to walk away without another word. "Damn Uchiha. Dropping a bomb like that then just walking away." The artist mumbled to himself, stuffing his hands in his pocket with a frown as he started the journey to meet up with his only friend.

How had he even ended up having a stupid lab partner to begin with? He, much like the raven haired teen, had always been more of a loner than anything. So why had the Uchiha made the choice he had?

"_Akasuna, Uchiha. You two are the only ones left without a partner." The redhead looked up at the teacher, not having been paying attention until he had heard his name. Then his eyes flickered across the room to the stoic teen whose mouth was hidden by his folded hands. Dark eyes met his for a brief moment before returning to the front. "You can work together or separate. It's up to you."_

_That was when the bell to end class and free the bored students from the classroom rang. A blank-faced raven was at his side nearly instantly. "We should work together." He suggested, though his monotone voice sounded like he couldn't care less._

"_Why?" The artist challenged suspiciously, honey eyes narrowed slightly. _

"_Because we both know you won't do a darn thing if you're working alone." The prodigy explained bluntly, a hint of impatience entering his tone. It wasn't a total lie on the Uchiha's part, though it was only part of the reason. The second part of that being that his chronic absences would make working alone a nightmare. "So? Partners?"_

"_Hn." He redhead grunted dismissively, knowing there was not arguing with the younger male. "Fine." He started for the door with that, the raven trailing close behind._

The two boys had been in the same class since elementary school, but that had been the first time they had actually spoken.

_And what in the world was with that conversation just a minute ago?!_ The teen demanded of him self, growling in frustration under his breath. Could he have been any more obvious? Or was he just being paranoid? He pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked into the only class he actually liked- art- trying to push the beautiful raven out of his head without much success. "Damn Uchiha..." He muttered to himself.

XxXxXx

True to his word, the Uchiha was back in class on Monday, throwing himself back into the work as if he had never left. He came to class to discover that his loyal partner had already gotten everything set up.

Honey eyes narrowed at the hairless cat on the table, a small frown on Sasori's lips. "I hate this..." He muttered, mostly to himself.

"You like art, don't you?" The younger male asked what seemed like out of the blue.

"I do." The redhead responded wearily, eying the Uchiha as if it was a trick question or something.

"Have you ever done sculpting?" Another seemingly random question.

"That's more Deidara's thing, but I've tried it a few times." His eyes clearly displayed his suspicion.

"Mr. Fluffyface here is kind of like a sculpture." The raven explained, trying to link the dissection to something the older teen actually enjoyed. "So cut carefully." He concluded, returning to his work.

Just another day in biology, so it seemed at least. That was until the raven placed the scalpel down on the counter, his hands pressed against the surface as he closed his eyes for a moment. At the peculiar action, Sasori looked up from his work, brows furrowed. "Are you alright, Itachi?" His words are met with hollow dark eyes, normally pale skin seeming paper white. "Shit-" was all the redhead had time to utter before the younger teen collapsed to the ground.

Gasps could be heard from around the room, but the artist didn't hesitate. He quickly gathered the raven in his arms, carrying the unconscious boy bridal style toward the door. "I'm taking him to the hospital." He stated on his way past the teacher, who looked like she was about to try and stop him.

The fifteen minute drive to the er seemed like an eternity. No one was driving quick enough. A soothing hand stroked raven locks of the unconscious form in the passenger's seat, the action meant to calm the redhead more than anything. Weaving in and out of traffic, bearily dodging red lights, Sasori raced to the destination, not even locking the car as he threw open the doors, pulling the younger back into his arms.

Two nurses greeted him at the door, one of them commanding, "Quickly, bring Mr. Uchiha this way." The artist's face was in a careful mask as he obeyed all their orders. Lay him here, stand out of the way, explain what happened. Honey eyes constantly watched the frail looking Uchiha as three nurses scrambled to make sure he was stable.

A pair of scissors did away with his shirt, revealing a scarred chest that actually shocked the older teen. The prodigy had really gone through that many surgeries? One nurse hooked up the heart monitor, a second the IV, a third an oxygen mask. The redhead stood out of the way, feeling otherwise helpless.

"Call Uchiha Itachi's father now!" One of the nurses barked to someone at the counter, who had almost been on the phone before she had said it.

A doctor entered the room at last, a deadly serious look on his face as he took in the pale, fragile form laying on the bed. "This isn't good. I need a CT scan immediately." He ordered.

"Sir, his father is on his way from the station. Should I call his mother as well?"

"Yes, we may need her to sign off on a few things before we can do anything. Who are you?" He demanded of the silent teen in the corner.

"Sasori Akasuna, his lab partner." The redhead answered in a voice of forced calm, though some fear could be detected. "What the hell is going on?"

"Itachi has a serious illness." The doctor explained, simultaneously checking monitors and papers. "I fear that his body is rejecting the tissue from his most recent surgery."

"And if that happens?" Sasori prompted through a clenched jaw.

Serious dark eyes met his, not bothering to beat around the bush. "There's a high chance he could die." Then the confident man's focus was back on the raven. "Get him to the scanning room immediately, we don't have a moment to waste." With that, he fast walked out of the room, not too long after did two nurses wheel the bed out and Sasori was told to stay put.

The redhead sat anxiously, tapping his fingers against his thigh in rhythm with his foot as he waited. Honey eyes snapped up as the door opened, a frantic woman with dark hair and eyes who must have been Itachi's mother entered, followed by a boy who was like a mini version of Itachi, Sasuke.

"He's getting a CT scan." the teen explained, introductions quickly following as the three waited in agony. Painfully long minutes ticked by before the ill teen was brought back, followed by a doctor who explained everything.

"It's worse than I feared I'm afraid." The man admitted calmly. "We need to get your son into surgery as quickly as possible, but there's a problem." Everyone in the room was on edge. At seeing the tears welling up in the mini raven's eyes, Sasori pulled the boy to his lap protectively. "I'm afraid we don't have enough O- blood to preform the operation with."

Honey eyes grew wide. "O-?" the redhead repeated, making sure he had heard right. A solemn nod answered the question. "I'm O-, just take as much as you need." a determined mask was on the teen's face, and a heavy relief could be felt in the room.

Hurriedly, the artist was lead to a room down the hall where two pints of blood were taken. From there, the blood was sent to the operation room, and the frail child was put under the knife yet again.

During the agonizing wait, the raven's father had shown up, and the Uchiha family plus their son's savior went to the cafeteria to eat and wait, though, because of the loss of blood, Sasori was the only one who actually ate. No one else had the appetite.

One hour, two hours, three hours ticked by before a nurse approached the party. Sasuke, who had fallen asleep on his mother's lap, instantly awoke as the nurse appeared. Three sets of onyx eyes and one light brown one focused solely on the nurse as she explained that, as far as they could tell, the operation had been a success.

"For the time being, his condition is stable. We've replaced the rejected tissue in hopes that he can recover properly this time." She spoke in a calm and confident manor, respectful and authoritative. "He should remain asleep for a few days, and only when he wakes will we know if this was truly a success or not, but we're remaining cautiously optimistic."

Heavy signs of relief were heard from all present before the youngest raven spoke up, his voice still sounding small and afraid. "When can I see my brother again?"

The redhead thought he saw a crack in the nurse's faultless facade at the heart wrenching demand before she answered. "Let us get him set up in his new room before you all visit, okay?" The tired boy nodded, rubbing his sleepy eyes as the nurse took the opportunity to leave, explaining that's she'd be back to get them later.

Silence ensued the group, finally broken by Itachi's father, speaking to the one they all agreed had saved their son. "Thank you for everything you've done, Akasuna, but it's getting late. You're parents must be worried."

"Actually, my parents passed away. I live with my grandmother, but she's out of town currently." The teen explained, not meeting anyone's eyes. "With all due respect, I'd like to stay here and see this through." A silent nod came from the stoic man, giving the redhead permission to stay.

Another precious half hour ticked by before the group was brought to the ICU section of the hospital. Upon arriving at the room, the redhead couldn't help but bite his bottom lip as he took on the weak, frail body of his post-op lab partner. The small hand in the teen's trembled at the sight of his ill brother. The redhead, who had a secret soft spot for children, gave the boy's hand a reassuring squeeze and a soft smile.

"Go give your brother a good night hug." The matriarch instructed. "It's late, I'll be taking you home soon."

"I need to get back to the office." The raven's father stated in a monotone voice. "Will you come back here after you bring Sasuke home? I don't want Itachi to be alone."

"I'll stay." the redhead offered, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Sasuke probably shouldn't be alone either." He pointed out at the questioning glances he received.

Sasuke found his way over to Itachi's bed, remorse in his eyes as he leaned down and hugged his brother carefully. "Please get better soon, brother." He plead quietly, then went to go wait near the door while his mother placed a gentle kiss to the oldest son's forehead.

A strong hand was placed on the older teen's shoulder accompanied by a silent nod before the raven's father followed the rest of the Uchiha family out.

Cautiously, the artist walked over to the raven's bedside, his emotionless facade falling apart because there were no more witnesses to its shattering. Experimentally, he lightly brushed the tips of his fingers over the back of the pale hand. Hesitantly, he took the smaller, frailer hand in his own.

"You know, Uchiha, you had all of us pretty worried." He whispered quietly to the sleeping raven. "I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life." He continued, gently running his thumb over smooth, pale skin. "It's odd... but, I think I like you." He admitted quietly, a brief and bitter chuckle leaving him. "And maybe one of these days I'll have the guts to tell you that when you're not... unconscious." A slight frown crossed his lips at the last word. "Get better quickly, Uchiha, before I have a chance to chicken out."

With a quick glance around the room, the teen pulled up a chair next to his ill partner's bed, keeping a protective and loyal watch over the frail teen the entire night. Even as he himself managed to doze off for a couple of hours, he was always alert. There were two people in that world who meant anything to him, and one of them was in dire need of his protection. He refused to let Itachi down.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I do not own Naruto or its characters. I'm simply borrowing them.

The next morning, Mikoto returned to the hospital, smiling softly at the redhead who was sound asleep by Itachi's side. As if sensing there was someone else in the room, honey eyes fluttered open, slightly clouded with sleep as he took the woman in. "Good morning, Mikoto." He greeted her fondly, sitting up and running a hand through his messy hair.

"Good morning." She hummed in return, going to place a gentle kiss to the still sleeping raven's forehead. "I brought you some breakfast." She placed a little bag pull of food on the counter. "And a change of clothes." She handed them to the confused looking teen. "They're Itachi's, but I'm sure he wont mind too much. If you don't hurry, you'll be late for school."

A pattern formed with that over the next few days. After school Sasori would go straight to the hospital after school. About an hour later, after Sasuke got out of school, the mini raven would stop by with their mother until it got late. The redhead would spend the night, then the routine would begin again in the morning. It was by the third night that the artist was sitting awake- his insomnia getting the better of him- that the teen realized that the Uchiha's father hadn't stopped by once since that first night. Why was that?

Four days ticked by, and it was late in the evening before you ill raven finally awoke from his slumber. Sasori looked up from his school work as Itachi's dark eyes fluttered open with a small whimper of protest. The teen glanced around the room, confusion flashing across the worn down orbs. "Sasori?" Came his weak, horse voice. "What happened? Why are you here? Where's mom and dad?" As he became more alert to everything, his voice started to become frantic.

"Shh, Uchiha, calm down!" Sasori prompted soothingly, pushing the raven's shoulder back down as he was trying to sit up. "I'll explain everything, but first you need to calm down." He spoke to the other as if he were a small child

The younger teen took a deep breath, his eyes falling closed again as he rested his head back against the pillow. "Alright... I'm calm... Could you please tell me what's going on now?" Dark eyes opened again, both pleading and desperate. Sasori had never seen the Uchiha look so vulnerable and young. He fought to keep it hidden, but the look in his secret love's eyes completely shattered his heart.

"Well, you passed out in class the other day..." Sasori explained wearily, unsure how much the younger remembered. "So I brought you here... Hm..." He hummed in thought, trying to recall exactly what the problem had been. "The doctor said something about your last surgery and it not being a success." Understanding overtook the raven's features at the other's words. "Your mother just took Sasuke home for the night, but she'll be back tomorrow morning. And your father... Well I suppose he's at work, but I don't know for sure..."

"What about you?" The raven demanded weakly, his dark eyes clearly trying to hide something. But what? Fear? Sorrow? He didn't know why he felt the way he did, but he felt as if there was a lot of pain hiding behind those days eyes. "Why are you here, Sasori?" He asked again, for the teen had gotten so lost in the bottomless black eyes that he had forgotten to answer.

"M- me?"The older teen ran a hand through his messy scarlet locks, a nervous habit of his. "I just... wanted to make sure you were alright." He battled himself internally on whether he should admit to the Uchiha the truth or save it for another day. Cowardice was starting to get the better of him, but he tried to force it away. When he looked down at the dark eyes looking up at him, he saw the confusion in them and froze. _'Because I like you.'_ That was all the redhead needed to say. Four simple words.

"B- because-" Damn it... How could four little words be so hard to say?! Screw it, he thought to himself, before he swiftly leaned down, capturing the raven's slightly parted lips in a kiss. Onyx eyes widened slightly in shock, a soft gasp escaping into the kiss. The longest second of Sasori's life ticked by before Itachi's eyes slipped closed and the younger teen started kissing back. Not wanting to push the ill teen too far, the kiss didn't last long.

A soft look was in Itachi's eyes when they reopened, a small whisper saying the words the Sasori didn't seem to be able to, "Because I like you."

XxXxXx Ten Year Later xXxXxX

Itachi carried two glasses of water into the room he know he'd find Sasori in: his little painting studio, where he'd been working on a painting all day and night for a few days straight. "Maybe you should take a break." The raven offered, placing one of the glasses down on the table next to the redhead.

With a small shake of his head, eyes never leaving the paper, the older man continued to work on adding little details with now more than a quiet reply of. "No time. Almost done."

"You've been working on that for days." Itachi complained slightly, giving the man a look that said it was time for a break and they both knew it.

He let out a small sigh before setting his pencil down and looking up at the raven. ''Fine, but only a short one.'' He knew he had been so caught up with the project that he had ignored the raven a bit, so that was why he was willing to take a small break.

"Thank you." he said with a small smile. He took a seat near the other, intending to take advantage of the little time he was granted. "We haven't really been speaking these past few days. Do you think when this is all done, we could do something together? Or do you have another project to start?" The raven was understanding of the redheads ambitions and all, but he had been feeling neglected lately.

Guilt gnawed at the redhead slightly, knowing that the raven had probably been feeling neglected or lonely or even both. The truth was, the redhead DID have another project he had to set to work on once this one was finished, but he decided to push it off for a month. ''I don't have any upcoming projects, so sure.'' He gave him a small smile before sipping on the water, not having realized how thirsty he had been until he began to drink it.

"Really?!" His eyes lit up noticeably, a huge smile breaking across his face. "That's wonderful news, but you're lying to me, aren't you?" he could always tell when the other lied. It was a gift.

''Not exactly,'' He gave him a sheepish smile, knowing that he should have known better than to try to lie to the raven ''I do have a project, but it can be postponed for a little while.''

He nodded in understanding. "Just as long as you don't end up stressing because you put it off. I don't mind waiting a little longer if you need to get it done."

''No, its fine.'' He kissed the raven's pale cheek gently.

He smiled softly, anticipation clear in his eyes. "So what shall we do when you're done?"

He pondered this with a thoughtful look in his eyes. ''A vacation perhaps?"

"Vacation?" his eyes lit up. "Sounds fun. Where to?"

''You pick.'' He gave him a small smile.

"We should go to Italy!" he exclaimed happily

''Okay.'' He agreed easily. ''Venice?"

"Or maybe Rome." he suggested with a grin.

''That would be fine with me.'' He told him before taking a long drink of his water, saying after, ''We could even do both.''

"Can we really?!" His eyes were wide in disbelief. Surely the other was just telling him what he wanted to hear so the redhead could work in peace.

He couldn't help but smile at the other's disbelief. He sat his cup down on the desk and said honestly, ''If that's what you want.''

"Are you sure you're not just trying to keep me quiet long enough so you can finish your work?" he questioned with a soft, joking laugh.

He rolled his eyes lightly in amusement. ''You caught me,'' He said dryly, joking right back.

"I should let you get back, shouldn't I?" his smile grew slightly sad at the thought.

He hesitated at saying yes, his heart clenching in with guilt at the other's sad smile. ''I can spare a little more time.''

"Lair." He accused lightly, leaving his own full glass for the other to drink as well as he stood up. "Do what you've got to do."

He gave the other a small, thankful smile, glad that the other understood and so easily accepted his need to finish the project. ''I should be done by tonight.''

"Take your time." he said over his shoulder as he exited the room, glancing back only once to give the redhead a sweet smile.

He smiled back at him before picking up his pencil and resuming his work, silently thinking about how lucky and grateful he was that the raven wasn't the type to get angry at him for spending so much time working. The raven understood how much art meant to him and he was grateful for that.

Once outside the redhead's work shop, Itachi allowed his fake smile to fade. He understood how important his art was to Sasori, but that couldn't stop him from wishing they could spend more time together, though. He shook his head, clearing it of such selfish thoughts.

The raven walked down the hallway, pausing for a moment in front of a picture of the two of then on the beach together. He traced his fingers along the frame, willing his past self not to take that precious time for granted.

He took the picture down from the wall, bringing it into their shared room and sitting down on the recliner with his knees pulled up to his chest. He rested the picture against his thighs, smiling at the fond memory before closing his eyes and taking a small nap while the other finished up.

Completely oblivious to the raven's thoughts, he worked intently on the project, determined to get it done by the time night fell. He added some color to certain areas with his copic markers.

Sasori managed to finish the project after a couple hours, a proud smile on his lips as he looked at his creation before putting it up in a safe area so it wouldn't get ruined. He then began to start looking at hotels in Rome and Venice with a soft smile, looking forward to spending time with his love. It had been awhile since they had been able to do something.

He managed to find a couple good hotels, but didn't book them yet since he wanted the raven's opinion. He got up and left the room as he set out to look for the other, finally finding him in their room, asleep on the recliner. A soft look entered his honey eyes as he approached him, briefly noticing the picture of them that the raven had on his thigh. Smiling softly as he remembered the memory depicted in the picture, he gently picked it up and sat it down on the nightstand before leaning his head down to kiss his sleeping raven's lips.

His eyes fluttered open slowly at the other's kiss, the action taking a moment to register in his sleep clouded mind. Once it had clicked in his mind that the artist was probably finished with his work, he smiled softly, kissing the other back contently.

Sasori smiled softly as the other woke, revealing the beautiful onyx eyes that had stolen his heart back when they has first met senior year of high school. He kissed him gently for a moment, enjoying the contact, before slowly pulling back and saying teasingly, ''Hello Sleeping Beauty.''

He blushed slightly at the other's teasing. "S- sorry." he mumbled softly, then he remembered he had dozed off with a picture on his lap and glanced around for it.

The redhead picked up the picture frame from the nightstand lightly. ''Looking for this?" He questioned with a soft smile.

He took it from the other's hands with a smile. "Do you remember the day we first met? Senior year biology class when we got forced to dissect that cat together because neither of us had a friend in that class." he looked at the two people in the picture, happy and smiling. Two loners brought together by fate.

''Yeah...I also remember we barely said five words to each other even after they made us dissection partners.'' He chuckled softly in remembrance. ''It took us forever to even start up a real conversation.'' It has been an unlikely beginning for the two loners, but thanks to it here they were years later.

"I remember accidentally slicing my finger and you mocking me was about the first, non- cat related conversation we had, wasn't it?" there was an amused smile on his face as he examined the scar left on his finger from the incident.

Amusement danced within the older man's eyes as he nodded with an amused smirk. ''Yeah. And then we didn't talk for a week after because my mocking ''hurt your precious Uchiha pride''."

The Uchiha gave a short, bitter laugh. "Mocking people is not how you make friends, Sasori. No wonder you were a loner."

''Back then I hadn't really put much value in having friends.'' He shrugged lightly. ''Heck, I had barely been able to stand being friends with the brat.''

"How is he doing anyway? It's been a while since he last visited." He pulled his love down to sit on his lap. "He still working on his art?"

The redhead moved his legs to let them drape over the arm rests as he sat sideways on his love's lap. "Last I heard, he was in Paris for some sort of special art gallery at the Louvre. He's planning on stopping by here when he gets back...'' His eyebrow twitched slightly as he added, ''He said he'll be staying with us for a week when he gets back.''

He laughed softly at the redhead's lack of enthusiasm. "I wouldn't mind visiting him in Paris if you'd like to stop by while we're in Europe."

Despite the annoyance in his tone whenever he spoke of the blonde, he couldn't help but enjoy the prospect of seeing his best friend again after over a month. ''I'd like that to be honest...though I might have to murder him if he starts insisting art is fleeting again.''

"Oh, you two and your artistic debates." He shook his head with a smirk, wrapping his arms around the redhead's waist. "Can't you two ever just get along?"

''No.'' He told him bluntly, his face completely serious as he looked the other square in the eye.

He stiffened slightly at the other's serious look, laughing lightly to relieve the tension. "That's fine. Your fights are amusing anyway."

He chuckled slightly in amusement at the other's response. ''Amusing?" He arched an eyebrow slightly at him.

"Sure. I mean, you guys fight all the time, yet you're still best friends." he looked down at the picture still in his hands. "No matter what." he mumbled distantly.

''Yeah.'' A slight smile curved his lips upward at that. There were only two people in his life that he cared about and that was Deidara and Itachi. ''Just like you and I will always be together no matter what.''

"No matter who or what tries to come between us. Even if... we don't talk for a while..." he bit the inside of his cheek roughly, trying to keep more careless words from tumbling from his mouth. The artist didn't need to add guilt to his already stressed mind.

He frowned slightly at the words, his eyes looking up into the other's onyx ones searchingly. ''You know I don't mean to ignore you when a project comes up...'' His voice was softer than it usually was, guilty weighing in on him. He hadn't realized how much it had bothered the other before...

He quickly put a smile on, beaming up at the redhead. "I know that. That's why I don't really get upset about it. I know you have to do what you have to do." his hands clenched softly on the edge of the frame.

The redhead laid a hand gently on the side of the other's face, a pained look of guilt in his eyes. ''You do get upset...but you hide it.'' He murmured softly.

"I wouldn't be upset about something I have no right to get upset over." he objected, his eyes darting away for a moment, then returning happily

''You do have a right to get upset if you feel like I'm ignoring you though.'' He told him gently. He hadn't never meant to make the other feel as if he couldn't tell him when he felt ignored.

"But I don't, so it's a moot point." The frame in his grasp gave a crack, glass shattering before the raven dropped it to the ground, examining his bleeding palm with a frown. "That's a bummer."

He let out a quiet sigh before taking the other's hand gently and observing the cut to the palm. ''Come on to the bathroom so I can clean it out.'' He got off of the other's lap and onto his feet. Silently, he decided that he would tell the art director at the museum and his agent that they were going to have to give him longer deadlines or he would quit...he knew the raven was upset over being ignored, but he also knew the man would never admit to it because he didn't want to make the redhead feel bad.

"Sasori, please don't do something rash just because you think I'm upset." he pleaded softly, afraid of what the redhead might do if he knew the truth. He got to his feet, his other hand clenched around the bleeding one in an attempt not to get anymore blood on the floor.

He gave the other a slightly unreadable look. ''You forget that I know you, Itachi. I don't think you're upset, I know you are.'' He held open the bathroom door for the other with a quiet sigh. ''And I'm not going to do anything rash...I'm going to do something I should have done a while ago.''

The raven stuck his hand in the sink, wincing slightly as he turned on the water. "That's what I'm afraid of. Art is something that you love, and I don't want to be the reason you give all that up."

''I love you more.'' He told him honestly, his voice quiet as he walked over to the sink and took the other's injured hand as he washed it out as gently as he could, knowing that no matter how gentle he was it would still sting the other. He grabbed a small hand towel and gently patted the area around it dry. ''If it ever came down to it, I would pick you.''

"I just want you to be happy." he told him quietly, sincerely meaning it. "I don't want to have to make you choose, because I know you'll pick me, but in the end you won't be happy. You'll always miss your art."

He grabbed the peroxide from the medicine cabinet and poured some onto a cotton ball, gently dabbing it on the wound to thoroughly clean it. After a moment, he told him quietly, ''I can always find a different agency to represent me and go freelance instead of how it is now.''

He winced slightly at the peroxide on his cut. "I didn't mean to lie to you for so long." He mumbled, a sad look in his eyes. "I respect that you have to do what you have to do, just sometimes it's hard, and I feel like we never talk even though we live in the same house. It's like you're worlds away. I don't want to guilt you into giving up something you love just so we can spend more time together, though."

''I want you to feel free to tell me whenever you feel ignored.'' He said quietly as he opened one of the drawers to get some gauze out to wrap the cut with. ''When I start in on a project, you know I get consumed by it and don't realize the passing of time. If I start ignoring you, tell me. Yell at me. Shake me. Something.'' He unfolded the roll of gauze and lifted the other's hand gently as he began to wrap the cut. ''I love spending time with you.'' He said softly. ''So if you feel like I'm spending too much time on work...let me know.''

He kept his eyes on the cut for a long moment, thinking carefully about the other's words. Obviously he meant them, but... The raven figured he could easily just agree to them and then let things continue as they were. That way the redhead wouldn't have to feel guilty anymore. "Alright, that sounds like a plan." He gave the artist a soft smile. "Thanks for helping with the cut."

''You're welcome.'' He leaned forward and kissed the other's cheek gently, his mouth lingering for a moment as he whispered in the other's ear, ''I'm trusting you to tell me if I do.. so please do.'' He pulled back and gave him a small smile.

"I will." He fibbed, carefully avoiding making a promise to the other.

''Promise?" He asked with a small smile on his lips as he looked into the other's eyes, knowing making him promise was the only way to ensure he kept his word.

"Damn..." he muttered, admitting defeat. He hated breaking his promises. Especially ones made to someone so precious. "I promise, I promise." A thousand curse words running through his mind

He had had a feeling the other wasn't going to tell him, which is why he had made him promise. He knew the raven hated breaking promises. ''Good.'' He pecked the other's lips gently before pulling back with a true smile present. ''Now come on. I started looking at hotels, but I need your input.''


End file.
